Clean Flexibility Roadmap
Today (23 July 2025), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published the joint NESO and Ofgem Clean Flexibility Roadmap, outlining how Great Britain can develop a smarter, consumer-focused energy system.
Launching the Clean Flexibility Roadmap
We are excited to announce the launch of the Clean Flexibility Roadmap, which has been published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, in partnership with the National Energy System Operator and Ofgem.
This marks the first time that all three of the primary public bodies in the energy sector have collaborated on a strategy to deliver flexibility in Great Britain: government as policymaker, Ofgem as regulator, and NESO as the independent electricity system operator and energy system planner, all working alongside industry to ensure coordination across the energy sector.
"Kayte O’Neill, our Chief Operating Officer, notes ‘The journey towards a decarbonised system will bring opportunities for industry and consumers if we can solve the challenges of using the system flexibly. This roadmap provides clear direction for that, setting out the actions needed to increase flexibility across Great Britain and the rewards it will bring.’"
"Fintan Slye, our Chief Executive Officer, stated in the Roadmap that the ‘Clean Flexibility Roadmap is a clear demonstration of how seriously government, Ofgem and NESO take this commitment and sets out what needs to be done, by whom, and when to deliver this.’"
Our advice to government on how to achieve a clean power system played a critical role in shaping the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, including the call for significantly more flexibility across the electricity system. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan committed the government to publishing a Clean Flexibility Roadmap, alongside Ofgem and ourselves, with the further flexibility measures and milestones required for clean power in 2030 and net zero by 2050, along with a framework for delivery.
How much Flexibility do we need on the system?
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan outlined a range of 51-66GW of flexibility capacity. We’ve estimated that the total capacity from different sources of flexibility will be 55.2GW by 2030 and 204GW by 2050 (NESO FES 2025 Holistic Transition 2024-2050). Data sets exclude storage heaters.
Our notable new actions in the Roadmap include:
- Setting a public target by the end of December 2025 for how much non-domestic consumer flexibility capacity will be added to NESO markets every year until 2030.
- Building on the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS), by April 2026, we will explore the potential to report on carbon savings by consumers as result of flexibility actions. For large industrial and commercial consumers (I&C), this would enable them to see the carbon savings directly attributed to their flexibility to further support their commitments to reducing emissions.
- By October 2025, we will launch an open call for industry to bring forward propositions for large load that could participate in our flexibility markets (e.g. supermarket cold storage) and commit to working with them to explore how this capacity could be brought into NESO markets. We will also set up a dedicated onboarding team to work with non-domestic consumers and their suppliers/aggregators to identify and bring forward new flexibility into NESO markets.
Enabling Demand Side Flexibility in NESO Markets
Enabling Demand side Flexibility in NESO markets report (originally entitled Flexibility Market Strategy), is a response to the urgent need to mobilise demand side flexibility in NESO markets as Great Britain shifts towards a greener future. Demand side flexibility is essential in our decarbonisation journey to clean power by 2030 and net zero by 2050.